Portable table-top miniature golf game provided with rearrangeable hole modules and separate green putting board

ABSTRACT

A portable miniature golf game and associated apparatus to be played on a table surface including a plurality of movable and rearrangeable hole modules to allow a player to recombine the sequence of the holes and a secondary putting green board to give a secondary putting score for each hole to be added to a primary score obtained at each module.

o n V United States atem 1191 1111 3,114,4 9 Morton Ma 20 1975 v y s [54] PORTABLE TABLE-TOP MINIATURE GOLF 3,360,265 12/ 19 67 Yabroudy 273/87 B GAME PROVIDED WITH 3,809,404 5/1974 FlkSC 273/874 REARRANGEABLE HOLE MODULES AND FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS SEPARATE GREEN PUTTINGBOARD 1,028,682 2/1953 France 273/872 [76] Inventor: Hershel 1). Morton, PO. BOX 4611 2 38 g g' me mg om 7875 251,046 4/1926 United Kingdom....' 273/87 c v[22] Filed: July 3, 1974 [2 NO: Primary Examiner-Paul E. v V Attorney, Agem, 0r FirmM. E.. Shafer [52] US. Cl. 273/872; 273/120 R 7 A [51] Int. Cl A63f 7/06; A63f 7/10 [5 1 BST ACT 5 Field of Search 273/87 R 87 B, 87 C, 87 Hi A portable miniature golf game and assoc1ated appa- 273/872, 874 176 F 176 FA, 176 F3, 120 ratus to be played on a table surface including a plurality of movable and rearrangeable hole modules to [56] References Cited allow a player to recombine the sequence of the holes UNITED STATES PATENTS and a secondary putting green board to give a secondary putting score for each hole: to be added to a pri- 736,938 8/1903 Clark 273/87 B may some Obtained at each module 1,799,263 4/1931 Swain et al. 273/176 F UX 1,864,500 6/1932 Livingston et a1. 273/872 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PORTABLE TABLE-TOP MINIATURE GOLF GAME PROVIDED WITH REARRANGEABLE HOLE MODULES AND SEPARATE GREEN PUTTING BOARD SUBJECT MATTER OF THE INVENTION The invention relates generally to portable table-top recreational games and relates more specifically to indoor table-top miniature golf games in which a player directly hits a miniature golf ball with a small golf club striker and in which strokes simulating putting strokes are made on a separate putting green game board.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Most of the miniature golf-type games to be played on a table-top employ a mechanical means of teeing the ball off at the tee point area toward the hole. Instead of actively participating in the driving of a golf ball and being cognizant of the effect that subtle variations in driving force, club head angle and ball impact can have in playing golf, a player of a conventional table-top golf game must resort to controlling clumsy unnatural levers and bars that control a remote propelling device that does the ball driving thus frustrating the players sense of participating in a realistic golf game. It is therefore a major object of this invention to provide a miniature table-top golf game that is very similar to the traditional game of golf in respect to its playing procedure, structural layout, ball control, scoring and motivation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a miniature table-top golf game that gives special consideration to provision of a separate putting green to incorporate both the functions of the initial tee-off drive and the putt.

Another object of this invention is to provide a miniature table-top golf game which can be easily and readily transported from the area to another, indoors or outdoors, with a minimum amount of trougble and set-up time.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a table-top miniature golf game having a playing procedure similar to a traditional game of golf which can be played by people of all ages with a minimum of actual physical effort required to complete the course.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tabletop miniature golf course designed so that the holes may be moved and arranged in different playing patterns to create a variety of sequences of holes so that a player will not become bored with a particular course combination.

Another major object of this invention is to provide a miniature table-top golf game which offers a pleasant pastime for a plurality of individuals, and at the same time increases manual dexterity and other skills, particularly in young children.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a portable miniature tabletop golf game which may be easily learned, one which is designed and patterned in a manner to make it entirely realistic, serviceable, and dependable in operation, and one which requires pru dent judgment and skill such as to not only familiarize the players with the actual game, but enhance their capabilities, enthusiasm, and skill.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent through consideration of the following description and appended claims in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective layout view of the portable indoor table-top miniature golf game showing the movable hole modules in one possible arrangement pattern on the decorated flat playing field board.

FIG, 2 is a detailed perspective view of one of the movable interchangeable and recombinable hole module assemblies.

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view of another variation of a movable interchangeable and recombinable hole module assembly from the opposite viewpoint shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective layout view of the separate portable putting green game board.

FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view showing how a miniature table-top golf ball is to be teed-off from the elevated tee-off ramp block at one end of the movable hole modules.

In describing one selected form or preferred embodiment of this invention as shown in the drawings and described in this specification, specific terms and components are used for clarity. However, it is not intended to limit the claimed invention to the specific form,

components or construction shown and it is to be un- I derstood that the specific terms used in this illustration of the invention are intended to include all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION Referring to the specific embodiment of the invention selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings, the portable table-top miniature game as illustrated throughout the drawings is designated generally or as a whole by the reference number 11. The major largest part of the table-top miniature golf game is the flat golf course playing field board 12 which furnishes a flat sizable playing area upon which the miniature golf game is to be laid out which a plurality of golf course game players may have easy access to. The golf course playing board 12 may be decorated in a variety of ways to add the realism of a golf course to the golf game playing board 12 which may also be provided with a plurality of ball hazard penalty entrapments l3-13 represented by circular depressions in the lake decoration-14 in FIG. 1 but which may be made in miniature to simulate sandtraps, trees, creeks and other hazards that might ensnare the golf ball of an actual golfer but designed to trap a players spherical miniature table-top golf ball 3333 should they leave the fairway and travel into the rough of golf course playing field board 12.

On the flat surface of the golf course playing field board 12 are placed by the players in whatever arrangement, order and configuration they wish a plurality of movable, rearrangeable and recombinable hole module assemblies l5-15. The hole module assemblies 15-15 are different from each other with respect to size and scoring and may be moved about and arranged over the surface of golf course field board 12 by the game players when they get used to or bored by one particular arrangement of the hole module assemblies 15l5. The inventor contemplates that more hole module assemblies 1515 may be provided in the portable indoor table-top golf game than are necessary to play the conventional game of nine or l8 holes so that a greater variety of hole module assembly arrangements could be made by substituting the extra hole module assemblies ll5 for those assemblies that have been used by the players for a period of time. Each of the movable hole module assemblies l5-ll5 are composed of three sections over which the miniature table-top golf balls 3333 travel shown as one particular embodiment in FIGS. 2 and 3. A miniature golf ball 33 is initially positioned on top of an elevated tee-off ramp block 16 and is teed-off the elevated ramp block 16 by rolling down a ball directing and propelling ramp surface 17 sloping down one side of the elevated tee-off ramp block 16. The miniature golf ball propelling ramp surface 17 directs the path of the miniature golf ball 33 onto a ball conducting fairway board 21 that has a flat smooth top surface which allows a miniature table-top golf ball 33 to roll smoothly across ball conducting fairway board 21. The inventor suggests in the particular embodiment chosen for illustration in FIGS. 2 and 3 that the ball conducting fairway board 16 may serve as a base upon which the other parts of the movable hole module assembly may be assembled and provide a convenient means by which the pluralities of movable hole module assemblies 1515 may be picked up, moved and recombined in new and different patterns. The ball conducting fairway board 21 has an elongated shape to guide a miniature table-top golf ball 33 to the elevated ball entrapment green 23 in the way an actual golf course fairway aids a golfer to guide a golf ball toward a putting green. To aid the guiding process, two fairway board ball guide strips 2222 may be affixed near the long, side edges of the ball conducting fairway board 21 to restrain the miniature table-top golf balls 3333 from rolling off the side of the fairway board 21.

After the miniature golf ball 33 is launched from an elevated ramp block 16 and travels down the ball propelling ramp surface incline 17 and across the length of the ball conducting fairway board 21 it arrives at, travels over and is stopped by an elevated ball entrapment green 13 which is of less height than the elevated teeoff ramp block 16 so that the momentum gained by miniature golf ball 33 in its roll down ball propelling ramp surface 17 will enable the miniature golf ball 33 to climb upon ball entrapment green 23 by means of a miniature golf ball riser incline 24. Ball riser incline 24 is a slight upward slope facing the elevated tee-off ramp block 16 that guides the miniature golf ball 33 up the ball entrapment green 23 to the flat elevated entrapment green top surface 25 that has provided in it a plurality of ball entrapment and primary score determining depressions 26-26 of sufficient size and depth to snare, entrap and hold a miniature table-top golf ball 33. Each of the ball entrapment depressions 2626 has a certain designated value made clear by playing procedure and score determining indica 27 symbolizing the number of strokes it took a certain player to get on the green. For example, in FIG. 2 if a miniature golf ball was trapped by a ball entrapment depression 26 outside of the rectangular line on the elevated entrapment green top surface 25 the player would be said to have gotten on the green in four strokes, but he would have had a three stroke primary score if he had guided the miniature golf ball to the inside of the rectangular line on the elevated entrapment green top surface 25.

After a player has obtained a primary score from playing one one of themovable hole module assemblies 1515, he takes a miniature golf ball to a separate portable secondary putting green game board 28, a particular embodiment of which is shown for illustrative purposes in FIG. 4, upon which a player will gain a secondary putting score which he will add to his primary score and any penalty strokes to get his total stroke score for a particular hole. The separate secondary putting green board 28 is a flat board that has a putting tee-off depression 29 to hold a miniature golf ball 33 before it is to be putted down the generally flat smooth surface of a ball conducting putting runway 30 to be caught by one of the plurality of secondary score determining depressions 3131 situated at the end of said ball conducting putting runway 30. As before, the secondary stroke score is obtained from score determining indica 27 clearly marking said secondary score determining depressions 3l31.

The miniature table-top golf balls 3333 are propelled around the hole module assemblies 15l5 and secondary putting green board 28 of the table-top miniature golf game 11 by a plurality of L-shaped miniature golf clubs 32 that can be held with one hand to be swung to impact and propel said miniature golf balls from the tee-off points of the movable hole module assemblies 15-15 and putting tee-off depression 29.

Other playing procedure and score determination indicia 27 different from indicia already described may be provided in the forms of directional arrows and written instructions on suitable places on said flat golf course playing field board 12, individual movable hole module assemblies 1515 and secondary putting green game board 28 as suggested by the illustrations in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 to further clarify the manner and procedure of play to the golf game players, particularly young children.

To improve and add predictability to the manner in which the miniature table-top golf balls 33-33 are teed-off of elevated tee-off ramp blocks 16-46, a min iature golf ball tee-off depression 18 may be provided in the top of the tee-off ramp block 16 near the back edge opposite said ball directing and propelling ramp surface 17. A miniature golf ball inclined guiding channel 20 begins at said miniature golf ball tee-off depression 18 continues the length of said elevated tee-off ramp block 16 down said ball propelling ramp surface 17 and terminates where the ramp surface meets with the ball conducting fairway board 21 so that said golf ball inclined guiding channels 20-20 positively delivers the miniature golf balls 33--33 from the tops of elevated ramp blocks 16-16 to said ball conducting fairway boards 2121. A miniature golf club clearance notch 19 may be cut into the elevated tee-off ramp block 16 slicing into said miniature golf ball tee-off depression 18 to assist a player to use a miniature L- shaped golf club 32 to positively and squarely drive a miniature golf ball 33 along said miniature golf ball inclined guiding channel groove 20.

To increase the variety and differences between the individual movable hole module asemblies 1515, the inventor suggests that variations may be made in the various component parts of the hole module assemblies to make the indoor miniature table-top golf game 11 more interesting. For example, the ball conducting fairway boards 2121 could be of varying lengths, the elevated ball entrapment greens 23-23 could have varying numbers and patterns of ball entrapment and primary score determining depressions 26-26 in elevated entrapment green top surface 25, and the score determination indicia 27 on the primary score determining depressions 2626 could vary between each elevated ball entrapment green 23. Particular embodiments of these variations may be seen upon careful examination of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings. The various parts of the movable hole module assemblies l5- l5 could be made attachable-removable so that the elevated ball entrapment greens 23-23 could be selected and interchanged on the various ball conducting fairway boards 2121 to form new combinations of movable hole module assemblies -15 composed from a selection of different interchangeable parts.

OPERATION In operation, the portable indoor table-top miniature golf game 11 is played similar to a conventional game of golf, counting strokes so that the player with the lowest total of strokes wins, the major difference being that the strokes a player takes in the indoor miniature golf game is determined by the score determining indicia 27, by the ball entrapment primary score depressions 26-26 and secondary score determining depressions 31-31 rather than by actually counting the golf club swings.

A player begins by placing his miniature golf ball 33 in the miniature golf ball tee-off depression 18 in the tee-off ramp block 16 of the first hole. He then strikes the miniature golf ball 33 with an L-shaped miniature golf club 32 to drive it down the ball propelling ramp surface 17 of the tee-off ramp block 16, across the ball fairway board 21, up miniature golf ball riser incline 24 of elevated ball entrapment green 23 into a ball entrapment and primary score determining depression 26 in the elevated entrapment green top surface 25. The player then takes the number of strokes designated next to the particular primary score depression 26 and adds it to the secondary score obtained when he puts his miniature golf ball 33 from the putting teeoff depression 29 down the ball conducting putting runway 30 into the secondary score determining depressions 31-31 of the separate portable putting green game board 28, which is used as the putting board for all of the holes. The players then total up their scores for all the holes, including any penalties for shooting out of the movable hole module assemblies 16 or into ball hazard penalty entrapments 13-13; the player with the lowest score being the winner.

When the miniature golf game players become used to one particular variation of the movable hole module assemblies, 16-16, they may move and interchange the assemblies 16-16 on the golf course playing field board 12 and the select different ball conducting fairway boards 2ll-21 and different elevated entrapment greens 23-23 to compose new movable hole module assemblies 16-16 to vary the design of portable indoor table-top golf game 11.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION An advantage of this invention is that is provides a miniature table-top game which can be easily and readily transported from one area to another, indoors or outdoors, with minimum amount of trouble and set up time.

Another advantage of this invention is that it provides a table miniature golf game having a playing procedure similar to the traditional game of golf which can be played by people of all ages with aminimum of actual physical effort required to complete the course.

Still another advantage of the invention is that that a provides a table-top miniature golf course designed so that the holes may be moved and arranged in different playing patterns to create a variety of sequences of holes so than a player will not become bored with a particular course combination.

A further advantage of the invention over other indoor and table-top golf games is that the game apparatus disclosed herein employs a side or separate putting green for the final strokes on each hole such that the player receives a measure of repeat tee-off practice and putting practice while the standard scoring procedures of regular golf are preserved in tack.

Another advantage of this invention is that it provides a miniature table-top golf game which offers a pleasant pastime for a plurality of individuals, and at the same time increases manual dexterity and other skills, particularly in young children.

Although the size and to a lesser extend the structure of the game playing apparatus has had to be modified to make the game equipment compatible with indoor table-top requirements, these modifications have been accomplished in a manner so nearly analogous to outdoor golf that the golf game playing apparatus disclosed herein provided newcomers to the game of golf with a convenient, comfortable, inexpensive and enjoyable means of practicing and mastering the vocabulary and the rules and the scoring procedures for the real game of outdoor golf.

Although this specification describes but a single embodiment of the invention with certain applications thereof, it should be understood thatstructural or material arrangements of adequate or equivalent parts, substitutions of equivalent functional elements and other modifications in structure can be made and other applications devised without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I therefore desire that the description and drawings herein be regarded as only an illustration of my invention and that the invention be regarded as limited only as set forth in the following claims, or as required by the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A portable indoor table-top miniature golf game with associated movable modules to allow rearrangeable hole combinations in a table-top game simulating miniature golf, said portable indoor table-top miniature golf game comprising:

A. a flat golf course playing field board provided with a plurality of ball hazard penalty entrapments;

B. a plurality of movable rearrangeable and recombinable hole module assemblies each said movable rearrangeable hole module assembly having 1 an elevated tee-off ram-p block having a ball directing and propelling ramp surface inclined down one side,

2 a ball conducting fairway board originating at the bottom of said ball directing and propelling ramp surface, and

3 an elevated ball entrapment green of less height than said elevated tee-off ramp block and situated at the end of said ball conducting fairway, said elevated ball entrapment green having (a) a ball riser incline facing said elevated tee-off ramp block, and

b. an elevated entrapment green top surface provided with a plurality of ball entrapment and primary score determining depressions;

C. a separate portable secondary putting green game board provided with l. a putting tee-off depression,

2. a ball conducting putting runway originating at said putting tee-off depression, and

3. a plurality of secondary score determining depressions situated at the end of said ball conducting runway;

D. a plurality of L-shaped miniature golf clubs suitably designed to be swung with one hand of a game player to impact and propel a miniature table-top golf ball from the tee-off point of the various movable hole modules of the course and the putting tee-off depression; and

E. a plurality of miniature table-top golf balls of suitable diameter to be entrapped by said ball entrapment and score determining holes.

2. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 with playing procedure and score determining indicia suitably placed on said flat golf course playing field board, said movable rearrangeable and recombinable hole apparatus module assemblies and said portable secondary putting green board.

3. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 having a plurality of selectable ball conducting fairway boards being of varying lengths to be recombined with said elevated tee-off ramp blocks and said elevated ball entrapment greens to be recombined into a plurality of selectable movable hole module assemblies.

4. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 in which the elevated tee-off ramp block is provided with:

A. a miniature golf ball tee-off depression;

B. a miniature golf club clearance notch behind and cutting into said ball tee-off depression to enable a miniature golf club to impact squarely with the back of a properly positioned miniature golf ball cradled by said miniature golf ball tee-off depression; and

C. a miniature golf ball inclined guiding channel groove originating at said miniature golf ball tee-off depression and terminating at the bottom of said miniature golf ball directing and propelling ramp surface.

5. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 having a plurality of selectable ele vated ball entrapment greens having varying numbers and patterns of ball entrapment and primary score determining depressions in each elevated entrapment green top surface of the selectable elevated ball entrapment greens to be recombined into a plurality of selectable movable hole module assemblies.

6. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 having a plurality of selectable elevated ball entrapment greens having varying score determination designations by the ball entrapment and primary score determining depressions in each elevated entrapment green top surface of the selectable elevated ball entrapment greens to be recombined into a plurality of selectable movable hole module assemblies.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,884,469 D t d M y 20, 1975 Inventor-(s) Hershel D- Morton It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the front page format, [76] should read:

- Hershel D. Morton 4611 Ave. C. Austin, Texas 78751 Signed and Scaled this A Ites t:

RUTH C. MASON C. MA Attesting Off i SHALL DANN ommissioner oj'Parenrs and Trademarks 

1. A portable indoor table-top miniature golf game with associated movable modules to allow rearrangeable hole combinations in a table-top game simulating miniature golf, said portable indoor table-top miniature golf game comprising: A. a flat golf course playing field board provided with a plurality of ball hazard penalty entrapments; B. a plurality of movable rearrangeable and recombinable hole module assemblies each said movable rearrangeable hole module assembly having 1 an elevated tee-off ramp block having a ball directing and propelling ramp surface inclined down one side, 2 a ball conducting fairway board originating at the bottom of said ball directing and propelling ramp surface, and 3 an elevated ball entrapment green of less height than said elevated tee-off ramp block and situated at the end of said ball conducting fairway, said elevated ball entrapment green having (a) a ball riser incline facing said elevated tee-off ramp block, and b. an elevated entrapment green top surface provided with a plurality of ball entrapment and primary score determining depressions; C. a separate portable secondary putting green game board provided with
 1. a putting tee-off depression,
 2. a ball conducting putting runway originating at said putting tee-off depression, and
 3. a plurality of secondary score determining depressions situated at the end of said ball conducting runway; D. a plurality of L-shaped miniature golf clubs suitably designed to be swung with one hand of a game player to impact and propel a miniature table-top golf ball from the tee-off point of the various movable hole modules of the course and the putting tee-off depression; and E. a plurality of miniature table-top golf balls of suitable diameter to be entrapped by said ball entrapment and score determining holes.
 2. a ball conducting putting runway originating at said putting tee-off depression, and
 2. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 with playing procedure and score determining indicia suitably placed on said flat golf course playing field board, said movable rearrangeable and recombinable hole apparatus module assemblies and said portable secondary putting green board.
 3. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 having a plurality of selectable ball conducting fairway boards being of varying lengths to be recombined with said elevated tee-off ramp blocks and said elevated ball entrapment greens to be recombined into a plurality of selectable movable hole module assemblies.
 3. a plurality of secondary score determining depressions situated at the end of said ball conducting runway; D. a plurality of L-shaped miniature golf clubs suitably designed to be swung with one hand of a game player to impact and propel a miniature table-top golf ball from the tee-off point of the various movable hole modules of the course and the putting tee-off depression; and E. a plurality of miniature table-top golf balls of suitable diameter to be entrapped by said ball entrapment and score determining holes.
 4. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 in which the elevated tee-off ramp block is provided with: A. a miniature golf ball tee-off depression; B. a miniature golf club clearance notch behind and cutting into said ball tee-off depression to enable a miniature golf club to impact squarely with the back of a properly positioned miniature golf ball cradled by said miniature golf ball tee-off depression; and C. a miniature golf ball inclined guiding channel groove originating at said miniature golf ball tee-off depression and terminating at the bottom of said miniature golf ball directing and propelling ramp surface.
 5. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 having a plurality of selectable elevated ball entrapment greens having varying numbers and patterns of ball entrapment and primary score determining depressions in each elevated entrapment green top surface of the selectable elevated ball entrapment greens to be recombined into a plurality of selectable movable hole module assemblies.
 6. The portable indoor table-top miniature golf game described in claim 1 having a pluraliTy of selectable elevated ball entrapment greens having varying score determination designations by the ball entrapment and primary score determining depressions in each elevated entrapment green top surface of the selectable elevated ball entrapment greens to be recombined into a plurality of selectable movable hole module assemblies. 